Certain surfaces such as floors in commercial kitchens, for example, can become slippery due to the presence of accumulated oil and greases. Many commercial kitchens include floors comprised of siliceous porous unglazed tile commonly referred to as "quarry tiles." Because of their porous nature, quarry tiles will typically retain residual greases and oils even after rigorous cleaning. These residual greases and/or oils have been known to migrate out of the tile over time.
Commercial products are available for application to any of a variety of flooring surfaces in order to decrease the slippery nature of the floor or to increase the frictional resistance of the surface. Such "slip resistant" articles typically comprise a backing wherein one major surface of the backing is textured by the inclusion of friction particles or the like. The other major surface of the backing is typically coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive for direct application to the flooring. One of the problems with floors exposed to oily conditions such as the aforementioned quarry tiles in commercial kitchens is the incompatibility of the pressure sensitive adhesive to the oily conditions normally experienced in such an environment. The residual greases and oils absorbed within the pores of the tiles often migrate out of the tile and cause adhesive failure within a relatively short period of time. In some cases, solvent based contact cements have been used as a primer on such flooring for application underneath the slip resistant articles. These contact cements, however, have generally been marginal performers and may include undesirable solvents.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a slip resistant article that can be applied to flooring or other surfaces preferably by use of a pressure sensitive adhesive which is resistant to the greases and oils typically found on and within flooring such as the flooring typically found in commercial kitchens or similar environments.